The Order of the Transcendent Blade
The Order of the Transcendent Blade also known as The Knights of the Blade, the Soldiers of the Eternal Queen and The Marked, are a Quasi-religious order formed in the Year Yrrl 97 (708 A.P.) in direct response to the destruction of the Reliquary of Yrrl and the death of King Dyfed IV. The Order are known for their fierce loyalty to the Eternal Queen of Yrrl and the characteristic tattoos which cover their faces and arms. Their main time of physical power and political influence were from the 9th to 12th centuries A.P. Their numbers were significantly reduced during the Pre-Union Wars. Although they are still a feared fighting force today, they command only a fraction of the numbers they once had. History For many years after the destruction of the Reliquery, the nobility in Yrrl led a crusade against their own people, searching for the traitors responsible for allowing such a desecration. Prejudice against magic practitioners of all kinds ran high and resulted in several large riots, particularly in the capital city. Queen Sylistre I was new to her throne and needed a show of strength. She appointed her younger brother Gwydion to gather together a fighting force to bring order to the kingdom. He started by bringing together members of his extended family and personal family retainers but found that shifting political loyalties made the force difficult to be completely trust. He changed tactics and began conscripting promising youth between the ages of 3 and 7 years of age. These children were sequestered in the Order’s stronghold for intense training and conditioned to extreme loyalty to the Crown. At first, any promising child might be chosen, but very quickly conscription began focusing on children with magic talent. It was believed that a fanatically loyal force trained in both magic and martial arts would help to weed out any traitorous magic elements and prove an excellent foil for the structured Mages at Oxley University. The members of the Order were the spearhead of attacks on Oxley University, and formed the core of Yrrlian forces during the Pre-Union Wars. Because of the intense fighting during the conflict, the Order’s numbers were decimated in size. And the era of peace and reconciliation of the post-Wars period led to the Order falling somewhat out of favor with the general population. For several centuries, the Order provided little more than Bodyguard service for the Eternal Queen and her family but the unrest and increased incursions by '''The UnBorn '''have led to an increase in recruiting and in public perception of the Order and its members. Organization The Order has always been organized along strict military lines. When it fell from public favor in the post-Wars era, the rules of conduct became stricter and daily activities much more ritualized. The Stronghold began as a simple military barracks but later developed a much more monastic feel. Tattoos The most recognizable identifying trait for members of the Order are the distinctive tattoos all members wear. The origin of these tattoos go back to the time when conscription began to focus on magic talented children. There was fear among the highest ranks of Yrrlian society that the order would be used as a spy force. To prevent this, all members were given three tattoos, one on the forehead and one on the inside of each wrist, to prevent Order members from blending into normal society. Over the centuries, the three simple tattoos turned into a mosaic of patterns and designs that grew to cover the entire forehead, both cheeks, and both arms from wrist to elbow. The designs are known to designate rank, martial and magical talents and accomplishments, but only the highest members of the Order can translate their full meaning. Ranks The order has three branches. All members of the order are trained in the Sword that gives the order its name. The Knights Militant focus primarily on physical combat and mastering all its varied forms and weapons, as well as strategy and group combat. The Knights Magical focus on the mystical arts and the Knights Clerical are the support troops whose primary focus is healing and logistics. The alleged existence of a fourth branch is Anathema. __FORCETOC__